The association between plasma visfatin levels and ED.

Visfatin was initially proposed as a clinical marker of atherosclerosis, endothelial dysfunction and vascular damage, with a potential prognostic value. It has been shown that endothelial dysfunction has an important role in ED. We aimed to determine the levels of visfatin in ED patients and characterize the relationship between visfatin levels and ED. This case-control study was conducted between October 2010 and August 2012, and 41 severe ED patients (group 1) and 36 healthy controls (group 2) were involved. Fasting visfatin level was measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. The groups were compared in terms of some clinical (height, weight and body mass index) and biochemical parameters (glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein). No statistically significant difference in the visfatin levels was found between the patients and the controls (17, 5±14.4, 14, 9±7 and 9, respectively, P=0.399). No difference in the other clinical and biochemical parameters was observed between the two groups. No significant difference in the serum visfatin levels of ED patients compared with healthy patients was noticed. Further studies are needed to confirm the effect of visfatin on cardiometabolic diseases and ED, indeed.